


Evening Falls

by deweydrops



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Character Death Fix, F/M, Fix-It, Grief, Mourning, No Spoilers, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 10:56:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18548380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deweydrops/pseuds/deweydrops
Summary: Every day, Sigyn attends to her duties in establishing the new Asgardian settlement. And every night, she slips away, not returning until the sun rises. No one knows where she goes, or why. Set roughly one year after the presumed events of Endgame (*NO SPOILERS*, only speculation as I haven't seen the film yet) with the Snap undone.





	Evening Falls

The sun had set hours ago over the village. Sigyn watched as the lights began to dim in the cottages from her vantage point on the hill, her cloak billowing in the gentle wind. When the last of the lights dimmed, she set off. Over the hills, down the coastline, and onward until the settlement vanished from her view. Only the stars and dim moon lit her way, but she knew the path well and required little light to make the journey.

One year ago, the mad titan Thanos was defeated, the devastating effects of his snap undone, those lost in the genocide revived. Since then, Sigyn had kept herself occupied. There were surviving Asgardian refugees to care for, a new settlement to establish on Earth, separated families to reunite, donated supplies to sort through, diplomatic intricacies to navigate with Earth's leaders, some of whom were wary of welcoming newcomers from another realm. All these tasks Sigyn attended to, and more, working tirelessly and without complaint. From an outside perspective she seemed perfectly collected, perfectly capable. One never would guess the deep ache within her heart, which grew into a perpetual exhaustion, leaving a void in her spirit and draining the life out of her eyes.

Loki. Murdered at the hands of Thanos, the one creature in the nine realms he'd truly feared. She'd pleaded with him not to leave her, to get on the escape pod before he was spotted. But with Thor in the clutches of the titan, Loki was left with no choice but to face their attacker. He swore he'd return to her if she were to escape without him, yet both knew the inevitable outcome.

Nothing could have prepared her for the shockwave of agony when she saw him die, tossed to the ground like a ragdoll, as she watched helpless on the escape pod. She slid to the floor of the pod, unable to cry or scream, as though Thanos' fatal blow had killed part of her, too.

In the aftermath of the attack, the urgency of saving what remained of their people, trying and failing to stop Thanos, and at last undoing the snap gave Sigyn little time to comprehend her loss. She hadn't cried even once since then. Instead her grief coalesced somewhere within her, only threatening to bubble over when someone actually looked her in the eye when they asked how she was doing. Such moments were rare, and she'd always answer “I'm fine, thank you.”

Loki was a rather touchy subject among the people of Earth and Asgard anyway. Most preferred not to discuss him at all. Thor avoided her these days, as she reminded him of everything he'd rather forget as he flew off on some new adventure or another, leaving the settlement mostly in her care. And so the daylight hours made it easy to deny the constant ache, that made each footstep heavier and each heartbeat sting.

Now, with the sun down and her duties completed until morning, Sigyn allowed her memories to stir in the silent night:

_They'd finally found a moment alone after fleeing the destruction in the Statesman. Now that the injured where attended to by the remaining healers, supplies were accounted for, food rations calculated, and they detected no signs of Hela or Sutur, it was time to rest._

_Loki lead her to a quiet corner near the back of the ship. He removed his cape and draped it over their bodies as a makeshift blanket. She rested her head on his shoulder, but sleep evaded her even as her body succumbed to exhaustion._

“ _Loki?”_

_His eyes were closed, but he'd always been a light sleeper. He opened his eyes after a moment and looked down at her._

“ _Have you ever heard of...bubble tea?”_

_He furrowed his brow. “I have not.”_

“ _I hear it is quite popular on Midgard. Perhaps once things are settled, we could try it?”_

_He smiled. “As you wish, my sweet.”_

It had been a lovely thought, but nothing more. A temporary flight of fancy as Sigyn mourned all they'd lost and Loki was already calculating new plans in the event he would not be accepted on Earth. Still she was fond of the memory- the last moment of peace they would share.

She'd arrived at the waterfall, her feet steady as she slipped behind the rushing water and into the hidden cavern in the rocky path, summoning a small orb of magic to light her way through the pitch-black tunnel. She descended further into the cave before arriving at the other opening, this one leading to a second waterfall, this one powerful and glistening with multi-colored light as the powerful stream cascaded past the cavern opening. And beyond the waterfall, the cosmos stretched out before her.

Franang's Falls. The last place from her and Loki's former life that she could still visit. The waterfall that existed between realms, yet also in none of them. Loki first brought her here many years ago, when he'd asked for her hand. It was also where he'd told her to wait for him if they were separated by a grave danger.

Ever since Thanos' defeat, she'd come here, night after night. It was a fool's errand, to wait for the return of someone she saw die. Yet each night she felt drawn to this place, to the memory of the proposal, to the lingering sense of overwhelming joy of that night, to the ever-growing inkling that Loki was still _somewhere,_ and perhaps he could still see and hear her from here, wherever he'd gone.

Now she leaned back against the cavern wall, watching as the water cascaded before her, catching the light of the stars. Across the universe, beings from every planet and realm were enjoying time with the loved ones they'd lost. The atmosphere had been heavy with euphoria when the effects of the gauntlet were undone. Parents played with their children, friends gathered at taverns once again, lovers embraced each other once more...

In some ways, this was the hardest truth to accept: for all her efforts in restoring the universe, there was no happy reunion for her. She was loath to admit it, but to see so many others find their loved ones pained her, knowing she would never again see the one she loved most.

It wasn't fair, she mused, the childishness of the sentiment not lost on her. It just wasn't.

As she watched the water streaming past her, she thought of saying something to Loki, in the scant chance he could hear her. But when she opened her mouth, no words came. What was there to say? Instead, she rested her head against her knees, listening to the rush of water until her eyelids grew heavy and sleep overtook her.

 

A hand caressing the side of her head roused her hours later. Her eyes flew open and she scrambled to her feet, drawing the small dagger she kept with her. The forced knocked back the shadowed figure who'd roused her, and she pointed the dagger at her invader, the blade glinting the space between them. Her hand shook. Her heart raced.

The stranger chuckled lightly, his hands up in surrender. “You know, I would feel much more welcome if you'd put that blade down.”

He leaned forward, the moonlight revealing a face she'd only dreamed of seeing again.

“ _Loki?_ ” The dagger fell from her hands, clinking onto the ground as the strength left her arm. Her knees buckled. Loki caught her before she collapsed.

“It's you...” she breathed. Though there existed creatures capable of assuming Loki's form, no creature in the galaxy could replicate his powerful yet endlessly tender embrace. She traced her fingers lightly over his arms. “You're alive?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “Hi.”

The dam inside her broke at last. Tears flooded from her eyes, and once they'd started she was helpless to stop. Grief, pain, relief, and a profound euphoria unleashed in a torrent that only a heaving sob could express. She wrapped her arms around her beloved Loki, her head resting against his collarbone just as she'd yearned to do for so long. His hair still bore the faint scent of citrus and sage, and the comforting aroma stirred up more dormant tears. His arms held her steady, one draped across her shoulders and the other stroking her waist. He shuddered against her, quietly shedding tears of his own.

“I saw,” she gasped between sobs. “I saw what he did to you.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he sighed, nuzzling the top of her head as he breathed her in. “I know.”

“But... _how_?”

“My darling, do you truly think I'd allow a glorified madman with delusions of grandeur to keep me away from you?” His lips brushed against the top of her head. “My fate is in my own hands now. And I had a promise to keep.”

He leaned against the cavern wall, pulling her into his lap. Sigyn, head swimming, went nearly limp in his arms. She squeezed her eyes shut, overcome by his embrace, his warmth, his scent. Him.

“Let me see you.” Loki whispered. He clasped her arms, loosening her grip and gently pulled her back. He tilted her chin upward until their eyes met. A wistful smile graced his lips as he looked her over. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, wiping away a tear. “My Sigyn.”

She took a proper look at him. He was much thinner now, almost gaunt, yet his eyes had lost the haunted, hunted look he bore for so many years. His hair had grown, now falling past his shoulders in loose, dark tendrils. Clad in a soft, off-white tunic and black breeches, a checkered scarf barely concealed the healing bruises on his neck. Beneath the sleeve of his left arm, she spotted a makeshift bandage.

“Oh, Loki,” Sigyn whispered, her voice steady at last. “I have missed you so.”

“Took me a while to find a proper pathway back here,” Loki replied. “Or else I would have returned sooner. Forgive me, my sweet.”

“We've so much to discuss,” Sigyn babbled. “Asgard is settled on Earth, but I fear they may not accept you, so we must decide that we'll do, where we'll go. And you must tell me all that's transpired on your journey back... Do you require more healing? And your brother-”

“Hey,” Loki interrupted, lightly squeezing her arm. “There will be time for all that. There will be time for everything. For now, just let me hold you.”

He cupped her chin with his free hand and kissed her. First delicately, his lips just brushing over hers. Then, when Sigyn pulled his shoulders down to her level, with a deep passion that surprised them both. Sigyn melted into Loki's embrace as he cradled her back with one arm and buried his hand in her hair with the other.

“By the Norns,” Sigyn breathed when they paused for air. “I hope the sun does not rise again.”

Loki cocked his head. “Oh? And why is that?”

“You've no idea how many nights I have spent envisioning this moment.” Sigyn carded her fingers through Loki's dark strands. “Only to wake at first light and find it was only a dream.”

“Very well,” Loki grinned. “Then we shall stay up all night so that you will not fall asleep. Perhaps then the sunlight will not disappoint you.”

And so they stayed awake all through the night, wrapped in each other's arms. They kissed, gazed into one another's eyes, each re-discovering the other's body, and whispered to each other all the things they'd longed to say over the past year. A few more tears were shed, here and there, but those were mixed in with gentle laughter and tender touches.

“My darling,” Loki said some time later, his gaze beyond the waterfall. “If I'm not mistaken, it is dawn, is it not?”

Sigyn lifted her eyes. “It is.”

“And I am still here,” Loki nuzzled the bridge of her nose. “No dream, my sweet.”

Sigyn grinned, the tears in her eyes no longer of sadness, only joy. “Then where shall we go, my love?”

“Wherever we like, sweetheart,” said Loki, straightening. He stood and offered his hand. “But I seem to recall something about bubble tea?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just hashing out some Loki feels before Endgame, hoping to give him the happy ending I'm afraid he won't get in the movie.


End file.
